Children’s magician arrested on child pornography charge in Massachusetts, feds say
A man with a lengthy career performing as a magician for children was arrested on a child pornography charge in Massachusetts, federal prosecutors say.
Scott Jameson, 45, of Sutton, Massachusetts, worked as a magic performer for more than 20 years across New England, court documents show.
He performed at libraries, private and family events with his typical audiences ranging from children in kindergarten up to the students in the eighth grade, according to investigators and his website.
Jameson was arrested on Oct. 21 after he returned to the U.S. following a trip to Cambodia, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced in a news release.
He is accused of having more than 100 images of child pornography on his laptop, a complaint states.
McClatchy News contacted Jameson’s attorney for comment on Oct. 24 and was awaiting a response.
Jameson’s arrest comes after federal investigators were alerted to Jameson by Action Pour Les Enfants (APLE), a nongovernmental organization in Cambodia that prevents child sexual abuse, prosecutors say. This prompted the search of his laptop after he landed at Logan Airport in Boston.
APLE accused Jameson of acting inappropriately with young boys in Cambodia after one employee observed his interactions with a boy at a park. Then, APLE workers interviewed more minors about Jameson, including two boys who reported Jameson would sleep in between them at a pagoda, court documents state.
While the two boys denied any sexual abuse occurred, they reported Jameson had massaged them, according to investigators.
On Oct. 19, Jameson was interviewed at Logan Airport and told investigators that he was in Cambodia for the past six weeks, according to the complaint. He said he travels to the country throughout the year and films YouTube videos there. Meanwhile, Jameson’s website states that he taught English in Cambodia in 2019.
A search of Jameson’s devices revealed he had an inappropriate video of a young boy that appeared to have been filmed during his trip, according to prosecutors.
Ultimately, he told investigators he had filmed it and said it “was inappropriate and that he should not have done that,” the complaint states.
Afterward, several more images of child pornography were found on his laptop, prosecutors say.
According to Jameson’s website, he has created different magic programs that have been featured on the rosters of the New England Foundation for the Arts, the New York State Boards of Cooperative Educational Services and more.
His website shows several photos and videos of him performing magic for children.
If Jameson is convicted on the possession of child pornography charge, he faces up to 20 years in prison, according to prosecutors.
Sutton is 50 miles west of Boston.
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